Beyond Basic Literacy

The morning light seeped through the wooden cracks of Ethan's shack, casting a soft glow over the small room. He lay on his straw mattress, eyes fixed on the ceiling, a rare sense of satisfaction settling over him.

He had done it.

He had spent the last few days learning to read and write, and now, for the first time in this world, he could finally make sense of written words. It wasn't perfect—his speed was still slow, and he sometimes stumbled over longer sentences, but he was getting there.

With a grin, he sat up and grabbed the Hermes language book Raya had lent him. Before heading to the Grand Library of Cordoba, he wanted to test himself.

He flipped to a random page, tracing his fingers over the symbols.

"The... m-marchant..."

No, wait—merchant.

"The merchant traded... w-wool... for... grain."

Ethan paused, then let out a small chuckle. A few days ago, he wouldn't have been able to read even a single word. Now, he was reading entire sentences.

It wasn't just about the letters anymore. He was beginning to understand the meaning behind them.

Feeling energized, he washed his face in the public trough, grabbed a loaf of stale bread, and made his way toward the library.

Today was another step toward true knowledge.

Ethan arrived at the library before sunrise, just as the first scholars began trickling in.

He greeted the guards with a nod and entered the grand hall, his fingers itching to touch the books he still wasn't allowed to read freely.

As always, he began his duties as a cleaner, making sure to act normal—he didn't want to raise suspicion about his growing literacy.

But today, he wanted to test himself.

While dusting a reading table, he noticed an open book left behind by a scholar.

Curious, he glanced around—no one was watching.

He leaned in, eyes scanning the first few lines.

"The Divine Emperor... decreed... all knowledge... must... be... preserved."

Ethan's heart raced.

He had read that without pausing.

Sure, the words were basic, and he had to mentally sound some of them out, but he understood the meaning without struggling.

For the first time, he felt the true power of literacy—it was like having a key to an entirely new world.

With a satisfied smirk, he continued his work, eager for his next lesson with Raya.

By evening, Ethan returned to the reception desk, where Raya was waiting with another book.

"You're improving faster than expected," she noted, flipping through his homework. "Your writing is still a mess, but at least you're starting to read complete sentences."

Ethan smirked. "So I'm officially less of an idiot?"

She rolled her eyes. "Barely."

She tapped the new book on the desk. "Today, we're focusing on reading fluency. I want you to read aloud, and I'll correct you if you make mistakes."

Ethan nodded and opened the book, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.

His first attempt was slow and clumsy, but after a few pages, he started reading more smoothly.

Raya occasionally corrected his pronunciation and pacing, but overall, she seemed satisfied.

"Alright," she said after he finished a full passage. "Not bad. You're still slow, but I can actually understand you now."

Ethan grinned. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Raya smirked. "Don't get used to it."

After an hour of reading practice, Raya suddenly shifted topics.

"Now," she said, flipping to a new page, "it's time for numbers and calculations."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Math?"

"Yes," Raya said, placing a parchment with numerical symbols in front of him. "If you're going to handle basic transactions at the reception, you need to learn how to count money and do simple arithmetic."

Ethan's mind immediately clicked into place.

Numbers were something he had been intimately familiar with in his past life. Compared to the challenge of learning a new language, this was child's play.

But, as always, he had to act like a normal student.

He furrowed his brows, pretending to struggle as Raya explained the basic numerical system of the Holy Dominion.

"Each number is represented by a symbol," she explained. "For example, this is one, this is five, and this is ten..."

Ethan pretended to take a moment to process it, then nodded. "Got it."

They moved on to simple addition and subtraction.

Raya wrote a problem on the parchment:

"If a merchant sells five apples for two copper each, how much does he earn?"

Ethan, who could do this calculation in his sleep, slowly wrote the answer: Ten copper.

Raya raised an eyebrow. "Huh. You got that faster than I expected."

Ethan shrugged. "I just guessed."

Raya narrowed her eyes but let it go.

By the end of the lesson, she seemed content with his progress.

"You're learning quickly," she admitted, handing him another book. "this one contains historical passages. It'll help improve your comprehension."

Ethan took it carefully, feeling another rush of excitement.

Another book meant another step toward knowledge.

That night, back at his shack, Ethan immediately dove into his studies.

The new book was more advanced, filled with historical records and stories from the Holy Dominion's past.

At first, reading was slow, but the more he pushed himself, the faster he adapted.

His ability to recognize sentence patterns increased.

Words that had once seemed foreign now felt familiar.

His writing improved, his understanding deepened, and his confidence grew.

After three straight hours of reading and writing, he finally put the book down and leaned back in his chair.

He smirked to himself.

"This is just the beginning."

He was no longer just surviving—he was thriving.

And with every word he read, with every page he turned, he knew—

He was getting closer to the true power of knowledge.